M-Audio M3-8 [7/40] Speaker placement

Setup

The configuration and placement of your M3-8 monitors on speaker stands or your desktop

workstation may affect the performance of the speakers. Use the following tips to achieve the

best performance out of your M3-8 monitors:

Speaker Placement

Place the M3-8 monitors so that the two speakers

and the engineer form an equilateral triangle when

viewed from above. Angle the speakers slightly

inward so that all three drivers face the engineer.

In general, it is recommended that M3-8 monitors

be placed at least one foot away from the nearest

wall, ceiling, or any other large, flat surface (the

reason for this is covered in detail in the following

chapter of this guide). If practical considerations

such as limited studio space make this impossible,

M3-8 monitors include three separate equalizer

controls to compensate for placement near walls

and corners, as well as to compensate for the

general acoustic response of your monitoring

environment.

Speaker Height

Position the speakers so that they are parallel to

the ground and that your ears are between the

midpoint of the woofer and the midrange

driver/tweeter.

Speaker Orientation

If possible, place the M3-8 monitors in their upright position and avoid laying the speakers on

their sides. The M3-8 woofer and midrange driver/tweeter are vertically aligned and will provide

the best performance when the speakers are placed upright. Placing them on their sides may

create strong reflections from nearby surfaces resulting in spectrally unbalanced sound.

If your M3-8 monitors must be oriented horizontally due to space or line-of-sight considerations,

place the speakers so that their midrange driver/tweeter is on the "inside" to improve imaging.

Tweeters